Max Verstappen: We performed below our expectations

Max Verstappen seemed the favorite for the Austrian Grand Prix, but due to the high degradation of the rubber he lost to Charles Leclerc and finished second. After the finish, the Red Bull Racing driver summed up the weekend and commented on the fines for breaking the track’s boundaries.

Q: The race turned out to be more difficult for you than the sprint. What is it connected to?
Max Verstappen: Indeed, the race turned out to be more difficult than I expected. On all sets of tires there was a noticeable loss of pace after a few laps, associated with a strong degradation of the rubber. I don’t know what it has to do with, why the relegation was so high, as normally we don’t have many problems with tyres.

I assumed the race was going to be difficult, but thought not. It is necessary to analyze and understand why this happened. But even on such a not the best day, we only lost five points, so the weekend turned out to be good.

Q: Was there tire degradation in all segments of the race or just one?
Max Verstappen: For everyone.

Q: Were you surprised by Ferrari’s pace in the race?
Max Verstappen: I expected them to be fast, but I didn’t think they would be this good. We performed below our expectations.

Q: Pirelli predicted a race with one pit stop. Did you originally plan such a strategy?
Max Verstappen: No, from the start we planned two pit stops. I now have no explanation as to why the tires didn’t work. Everything has to be analyzed and sorted out.

Question This weekend there were reports of insults to the fans. How much does it bother you? Does Formula 1 really have this problem?
Max Verstappen: Of course this is not good, but such things happen everywhere, although they shouldn’t be. I’ve read about shocking things – it’s clearly all wrong. There must be a common understanding that this should not happen. It is necessary to think about such behavior and such things.

Q: Your partner didn’t finish it. Does that bother you, given the close battle for the title?
Max Verstappen: My partner just got knocked out of the race. His car was damaged, the bottom was damaged, he had a flat tire. I think the team just decided to take him out of the race because he didn’t have the pace I had at Silverstone. There was no point in continuing, so the team decided to save the resource.

Q: There has been a lot of talk this weekend about the inconsistency of the stewards’ decisions. George Russell even said it would be better if only one race director remained. Do you agree with him? How has the order of stewards’ decisions changed this year compared to last year?
Max Verstappen: I don’t think it all depends on one race director. I think we need to work more with the riders, rather than stubbornly defending their position. You know, we want to make it better for everyone, not just pursuing our own interests.

Racers discussed everything and came to more or less agreement on almost all points. Of course everyone has their own opinion on certain things, such as track boundaries, but this weekend the subject of track boundaries turned into something of a joke – not just in Formula 1, but Formula 2 and Formula 3 as well. .

From the side, it’s easy to say that we don’t have to go beyond the white lines. But that sounds easy, but it really isn’t easy, because some fast corners are blind and if the car has a little more understeer or the tires wear out, you’re off the track. But do we win back time at the cost of this? Maybe, maybe not. Frankly, there are only two or three corners on the track, from which you can go a little wider.

In those places you can easily place barriers or deposit gravel, such as at the exit of the sixth bend. Gravel is a good option because you punish yourself if you go wide.

We have to think about how we can change the situation for the better, including for the stewards. It’s impossible to track every driver on every lap of the entire race that he hasn’t crossed the white line. In some corners you punish yourself if you hit the gravel. That’s not good for the sport.

Another thing, incidents in races and the like. There is no doubt that we need to improve this aspect. We will continue to work to change things for the better.